Queens Poop Too: 3 Reasons You are Constipated

Ok Listen.

Ok, so I am not trying to insult your intelligence by telling you that us women need to go too, But rather poke fun at the taboo nature of “restroom talk". After suffering from constipation as a result of a gastrointestinal condition for a year, I can tell you that that there is nothing beneficial coming out of us not talking about these things as women!!

When I was dealing with the worst of it, I got sick and tired of the hush hush around this common problem and just started talking about it with friends. Turns out, it’s a fairly common problem & many women suffer in silence out of embarrassment.

Think About It.

Just think about it like this:

1) You simply are not living your best life if you are full of sh*t :)

2) When you deal with constipation, your whole life can be affected!

What do I mean by that? Well if you have ever been constipated, even for a day, you know how it can really affect how you feel. This sense of heavy, weighed down, grossness that can even make you feel a little self-conscious, especially if it’s causing you bloating. As a high school student during the worst of it, it really affected my daily mood and it made me feel held back in a sense. Can you relate?

Yet, it’s still a very taboo topic, especially among women, so many suffer alone in silence because it’s seen as embarrassing. WHAT. NO! Embarrassing is grown women not being able to talk about an bodily function—at the appropriate place and time of course. Anywho, through my constipation journey, I learned a lot from my trial & error + my herbalist & acupuncturist.

I am happy & relieved to report that I rarely get constipated anymore despite having a chronic gastrointestinal disorder after getting real about my gut health and committing to consistent lifestyle and diet changes.

Because of their guidance way back then, I was able to realize that in order to heal, I had to know WHY I was constipated. If you don’t know your “why”, throwing different remedies at the issue is like shooting in the dark. These three things seem to be some of the most common, yet under-addressed issues.

Three Major Players.

1) You think you drink a lot of water but you actually don’t.

Ok, so please do not take this a personal attack {remember I just want to see you glow-up} but you might not be drinking as much water as you think you are. I see this all the time!

Someone will be like, “But Noelle, I drink so much water” "& their idea of that is a glass of water in the AM, a water bottle at work, and a glass at night plus coffee or tea in between.

I love & hate to break this to you: That’s not very much water…for anyone! And you might say, “But I’m not thirsty!” and to that I will say, “Oh darling, feelings of thirst happen once you are ALREADY dehydrated. You have been fooled your whole life. You need to be drinking before you get thirsty to avoid dehydration…aka all the time.

For reference: I personally feel off if I don’t drink 1.5-2 liters a day— just for your reference.

2) You eat quite fast.

So this is something I learned from the holistic practitioners I started seeing when I was trying to heal my gut/gastroparesis:

When you eat fast, you are not chewing your food as well as you should making it harder for your digestive system too break down, increasing the probability of getting stopped up!! It’s super logical but I needed an outside source to help me put two & two together—we all do.

I am so guilty of this to this day, but in my experience, it really makes a difference when I make an extra effort to chew and really taste my food.

3) Your fiber intake could be elevated.

I am sure you already know about fiber. Like how can you not with every other commercial being some lady stirring magic-fiber into her water looking slim and happy LOL. you know those commercials?! I digress...

Simply stated, without enough fiber {& you need more than you’ d think—especially if you are prone to constipation} there is nothing to push along the waste in your GI tract and everything will just move a little slower.

So, find out how much fiber you eat now & slowly start adding more. A good way to find out how much you are currently eating is by downloading the free My Fitness Pal app and entering what you typically eat in a day for a week or so. The app will show you how much fiber you typically eat which will give you a good base to work off of.

Once you decide to make the effort to eat more, start increasing slowly. Too much at once can have the opposite effect + bloating + gas. Take your time! :)

Reflect & FYFF.

Now, I will say that there are many reasons you may be dealing with constipation. On one end of the spectrum are simple misalignments in your body’s needs, like the ones I mentioned above, and on the other end of the spectrum are more serious things like a gastrointestinal condition, like mine, gastroparesis {which is quite rare so don’t freak out}.

Still, most people I know see major changes when they are able to be honest and reflective with themselves about their lifestyle and diet habits. These ladies see big changes in regularity with small, consistent tweaks. Note the word”consistent”—you cannot expect to see results after one day of eating a salad and drinking water…though I have seen it!

Anywho, I hope you can reflect on your lifestyle in regard to these three tips, make a plan & do some tweaking! When you are regular, your body is healthier, lighter, and you just feel better.

I’d love to hear if any of these things resonate with you or get you thinking. And paaaleaaase share your experience if you see positive changes!

As always, thank you for reading & please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions or comments!